Part 76

CALYX. Perianthium septempartitum, patens, acutum, persistens.

COROLLA. Petala septem, oblonga, æqualia, calyce duplo longiora.

STAMINA. Filamenta septem, subulata, longitudine calycis. Antheræ subovatæ, erectæ.

PISTILLUM. Germina septem, oblonga, desinentia in stylos subulatos, longitudine staminum. Stigmata obtusiuscula.

PERICARPIUM. Capsula septem, oblongæ, acutæ, parallelæ, univalves.

SEMINA plurima.

EMPALEMENT, Cup of seven divisions, spreading, sharp-pointed, and remaining.

BLOSSOM. Seven petals, oblong, equal, twice the length of the cup.

CHIVES. Seven threads, awl-shaped, the length of the cup. Tips nearly egg-shaped, and upright.

POINTAL. Seven seed-buds, oblong, and ending in awl-shaped shafts, the length of the Chives. Summits bluntish.

SEED-VESSEL. Seven capsules, oblong, sharp-pointed, parallel, and of one valve.

SEEDS many.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Septas, foliis subrotundis, crenulatis, oppositis; glabris; radice tuberosa.

Septas with roundish leaves, slightly scolloped, opposite and smooth; root tuberous.

REFERENCE TO THE PLATE.

1. The Empalement. 2. The Chives, and Pointals, (magnified). 3. One of the Pointals detached, (natural size).

We are happy in having procured for the entertainment of our botanical friends, a specimen of so singular a plant as the Septas: which, from the conformity of its constituent generic characters in point of numbers, has given it the title it bears and forming for itself an order of plants, in which it stands alone. No plant is better known to botanists than Septas by name; but as yet, there exists only one miserable uncoloured figure of it; which is to be found in the Mantissa of Plukenet, tab. 340, fig. 9. The first plants seen of Septas in England, were purchased in roots from Holland, under the name of Saxifraga Tuberosa, by Messrs. Lee and Kennedy Hammersmith. The beginning of August this year, a drawing was taken from a plant in the collection of G. Hibbert, Esq. Clapham, he having received some fine bulbs of it, in the spring, from his collector at the Cape. There are few plants rival Septas for beauty that are of equal size; it is herbaceous, should be removed from its pot when in a state of inaction, and dried like the Anemonie. The bulbs may be cut, or parted at the time of removal for propagation.

PLATE XCI.

CAMELLIA JAPONICA. Var. flore pleno variegato.

Double-striped Camellia.

CLASS XVI. ORDER VI. of Schreber’s 8th ed. of Gen. Plant.

MONODELPHIA POLYANDRIA. Threads united. Many Chives.

ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER.

CALYX imbricatus, polyphyllus; foliolis interioribus majoribus.

EMPALEMENT tiled, many leaved; the inner leaves the largest.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER OF VARIETY.

Camellia foliis brevioribus, latioribus; floribus plenis, variegatis.